All the Money in the World

1973: Shock for Gail Getty (Michelle Williams): her 16-year-old son Paul (Charlie Plummer) has been kidnapped in Rome. The reason is quickly found: Paul is, after all, the grandson of one of the richest men in the world, billionaire oil tycoon J. Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer). The 17 million dollars, which are demanded by the kidnappers as a ransom, could Getty virtually as postage costs. But the old man doesn't even think of paying a dime. Getty is convinced that his money would only attract copycats - and with 13 grandchildren, that could get pretty damn expensive. But Gail won't accept that. She fights doggedly for her son's life and gets help from Getty's security advisor, former CIA agent Fletcher Chase (Mark Wahlberg). But time is running out and J. Paul Getty seems unwilling to budge from his position.

There can hardly be a greater disaster for a filmmaker than when the painstaking work of many talented people is completely eclipsed just before release by a scandal involving one of the actors. This is exactly the fiasco Ridley Scott was faced with. Just as he had completed All the Money in the World, supporting actor Kevin Spacey, who was already up for an Oscar, hit the all-knowing headlines. Now, Scott's only real options were to postpone the film's release or stick with the planned release date in hopes that the film's quality would overshadow the scandal surrounding Spacey. Realizing that this was unlikely to be the case, he opted for a third option: he cut Spacey out of the film entirely and reshot all of his scenes. Oscar winner Christopher Plummer stepped in for Spacey.

In just 15 days, no small number of scenes were reshot and then incorporated into the film. If it hadn't been so publicized, it wouldn't even be noticeable in the finished work. And that's exactly what Scott, as well as an excellent Christopher Plummer, as well as the rest of the team, must be credited with as a masterstroke. Of course, All the Money in the World will still always be the film that Kevin Spacey was cut from. But by reshooting, Ridley has managed to keep viewers fully focused on the story and the great performances of the cast, at least during the film. Plus, unlike Spacey, Plummer didn't have to be hidden under elaborate makeup, which the scenes with the ice-cold calculating billionaire can also benefit from.

Scott's recreation of one of the most sensational cases in criminal history is truly superb in terms of craftsmanship. The look and set capture the early 1970s perfectly. And while it doesn't take much research to figure out how the kidnapping turned out - if you don't already know anyway - Scott's production manages to build atmospheric tension that is given an unexpected intensity towards the finale. Aside from that, Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer and also Mark Wahlberg are simply a pleasure to watch play very well.

Aside from a few minor lengths, All the Money in the World is a gripping kidnapping thriller and a bitingly cynical drama where the lines between good and evil, between perpetrators and victims, become increasingly blurred. A very good film that deserves attention for its quality and not because of any scandals. Absolutely worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp